The West of England’s first Metro Mayor says he will set aside party politics to work for the benefit of the region.

During his inauguration at the Engine Shed, Conservative mayor Tim Bowles promised to “make decisions about what is best for our region, cutting across the divides of council boundaries”.

Bolstered by about 50 supporters, the new mayor sat down to sign the all-important contract in a speedy ceremony which lasted less than 20 minutes.

The 57-year-old was voted as the West of England Combine Authority’s (Weca) – which includes Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) - Metro Mayor in a regional election on Thursday.

Swearing in ceremony for the new Metro Mayor, Tim Bowles.

Mr Bowles will work with the three council leaders within the combined authority, Bristol’s Marvin Rees, South Gloucestershire’s Matthew Riddle and B&NES’ Tim Warren across four main portfolios including transport, planning, adult education and skills and business infrastructure.

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Yet the political make up of Weca has caused concern for some commentators, with some suggesting Labour’s Mr Rees could be squeezed out by the three Conservatives.

Speaking to the Bristol Post after the official ceremony, he said: “It is vital that this is done constructively and collaboratively.

“I know there were concerns from a lot of people in the election run up that there were some elements that suggested some people were going to try and work on their own, but I always said myself, that it is vital we are working together.

“I know Marvin and Tim and Matthew all want to see the same positive outcomes. We have all got the same challenges and I have said throughout the election campaign that those challenges will need different solutions in different areas.

Swearing in ceremony for the new Metro Mayor, Tim Bowles

“So how I am going to work with Marvin to address the challenges in Bristol will see us come up with different solutions than when I am working with Tim and Matthew.

“But it is also important that all three of them buy in to what we are doing, so that we are not doing things in isolation, rather we are working together as a team.”

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Despite claiming to dismiss party politics from his new role, Mr Bowles says he continues to canvass for Theresa May and the Conservative Party in his spare time.

He said: “I didn’t have anything planned celebration-wise at the weekend, I was out canvassing on Saturday to make sure that we return Theresa May as Prime Minister for the country so that we can get that strong and stable leadership we need as a country. I am very focused on that in my private time.

“The first call I had [on Friday] was from [Theresa May’s] chairman on her behalf. She wished me will and said please don’t forget that you said you would be out canvassing on Saturday.”

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However, despite the promises, it will inevitably take Mr Bowles several weeks before he can start to bring his manifesto to fruition.

He will initially work from the Engine Shed before he decides how many staff he needs to employ and where he wants Weca to be based.

Mr Bowles said: “Whilst we have plans and have things we want to deliver, what we need to do now is sit down the four of us and work out how that plan is going to work.

What next for new Metro Mayor Tim Bowles?

"What I am doing is going out to people and getting the important things in place. We have a functioning office in the Engine Shed, we are not going to be uprooting that.

“Where we ultimately sit is not top of the list at the moment, it is about getting things planned right now.”

Mr Rees claimed to be feeling positive ahead of the new Metro Mayor partnership.

He said: “We are really clear that Bristol is a city and that we continue to work as a city, but will also be very proactive members of the combined authority – so how do we hold those two things together is what we work out from here.

“I think Tim [Bowles] will be reasonable. We have had conversations already and also Tim [Warren] and Matthew [Riddle] know him already and have assured me that he is a decent guy and that suggests that we will be able to work together very constructively.

“Emotional intelligence is one of the most important skills and attributes of a combined authority because this is about relationships and shared proprieties.”

The Bristol Mayor added that he thinks it will be a good idea if each of the leaders put their “asks” on the table, so future conflicts can be anticipated and hopefully avoided.